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What joy the gospel gives me. I can approach the throne of God with confidence, not because I've done a good job at my spiritual duties, but because I'm clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. ~ C.J. Mahaney

to the end of the earth

We left Maseru early Monday morning to drive high into the
mountains of Lesotho.Specifically, our destination was the tiny village of Molumong and the
home of Jayne, a missionary with AIM who has lived there for seven years. The
village of Molumong is about an hour’s drive from Mokhotlong, where Jonathan
and Abby have been assigned to work. The trip up there took us over eight hours.

The first two hours were relatively smooth travel, the paved
road only occasionally pocked and pot-holed.As we drove, we barely left one small town before we entered
another.One of the most
noticeable differences of driving in Lesotho is the amount of foot traffic.It seems as if twice as many people are
walking along the side of the road as are driving in vehicles.Additionally, there are animals being
herded along or ridden: cows, sheep, donkeys, horses.Women walk along carrying their burdens on their heads.Mamas have babies bundled on their
backs.And nearly everyone is
wearing a heavy blanket draped over the shoulders, held fast by a giant pin at
the neck.

After picking up some KFC in the town of Butha Buthe, we
found a place to stop and have a picnic lunch in the countryside just outside
of town.We watched as a shepherd
herded his sheep through the field, across the road, and to the other side. After
we finished our fill of chicken and fixings, Jonathan took a couple pieces and
some mashed potatoes over to the young shepherd who accepted it with a smile.

Incidentally, shepherds are everywhere—men and boys of all ages,
some appearing as young as five years. Apparently it’s a lifestyle they are born into and live out
all their days.They are
essentially illiterate, but love storytelling.Two AIM missionaries, whom I had the pleasure of meeting
last week, have just completed a two and a half year project of translating
thirty-one of the most important Bible stories into Sesotho, telling creation
through Revelation. Making
sure the usage was correct by teaching the stories to shepherds themselves, they then
made recordings of shepherds repeating them into solar powered MP3 players. A missions team of young men is coming
soon to live among the shepherds for several years and use these stories to
teach them about God’s love and gift of salvation.The shepherds of Lesotho truly are an unreached people group
for whom believers should pray.

Moving up the windy, steep road into the mountains, the view
was magnificent.I was thankful
for guard rails placed strategically at precipitous drops.We occasionally saw wrecked cars down
below whose drivers hadn’t been as careful as they should have been.At those points, I was white-knuckling
Jonathan’s headrest on the seat in front of me.

What felt like the longest stretch of road was actually only
the last hour of the drive up into Jayne’s village.A good analogy for it escapes me.We bumped and swayed, coming out of our seats, with our heads
sometimes hitting the ceiling or doors.Jonathan was doing his best to keep the bumping to a minimum, but it was
still very rough going.And the
funniest part of all is how excited Jayne is that they have recently “smoothed
out” her road.I can’t really imagine
how it was before.

Arriving at Jayne’s just after dark, we were welcomed from the
freezing night into her tiny home aglow with candles and parafin lamps.The oil heater was roaring and the room
was toasty warm. Abby had brought
the ingredients for a Mexican casserole which we quickly popped into Jayne’s
oven.Then we warmed up with cups
of piping hot rooibos tea, a local favorite.

I’m finding it difficult to even try to explain the way I
felt up there in that tiny mountain village which felt like the end of the
earth.As much as I love the
comforts of home, I felt incredibly drawn to the simplicity of life there--drinking
tea made from water Jayne had pumped from the village well, visiting by candle
light, knowing that this is her daily experience.We would say she’s given up so much: leaving a lucrative job
as a nurse in Arizona at the age of 56, selling nearly everything she owned,
leaving grown children in the States to move to a place she admits she never
knew existed before.Depending on
the terrain, she either drives a Land Rover, walks, or horseback rides weekly into
the surrounding villages testing the people for HIV infection and providing
support for those who need it.She
shares God’s plan for marriage and fidelity and most importantly about the hope
and healing that is found only in Christ.She speaks the language extremely well and the people respect her very
much.Several neighbors stopped by
to visit while we were there.Her
home has an open door and her tea kettle is always on.God has given me so much to think
about.But for now, I just thank
Him for the experience of visiting in her home and being the recipient of such
gracious hospitality.

We spent the night in another home a few hundred yards from
hers.It is a home owned by AIM
which has recently become vacant.I’d
like to say it was warm and cozy, but the truth is, we nearly froze.Right now, the house isn’t heated at
all.And using an outhouse in such a climate was undoubtedly a
great challenge!

On Tuesday, we drove out that hour long road back to
Mokhotlong to take a look around the town where Abby and Jonathan are needing a
home.The problem is that right
now, there are no homes to rent in town.Jayne showed them a rondovel (round house, one room)
which is a short term (several months) option. No running water, an
outhouse, and baths in a bucket might work for a few days or a couple weeks,
but Abby is adamant that it isn’t going to work for a family of four very
long.And living out where Jayne
lives isn’t an option because of the necessity of Jonathan living in a more
central location to pastors from the surrounding communities.His job will be teaching theological
education to the pastors who can’t continue their education in any other way.Thankfully, several people are
searching for a house for them.So
we’re praying one comes available soon.

We picnicked by the Mokhotlong River before heading back to
Jayne’s house. After he ate
his lunch, Jonathan spoke to a shepherd and played him a couple of the Sesotho Bible
stories he had recorded on his iPod.The shepherd seemed very interested, so Jonathan told him to look for
him in a few months and he would be welcome to come to their home to hear more
stories.

As we drove we listened to Jayne talk about her work in the
villages.The scourge of HIV/AIDS
is so prevalent here.In women aged 20-50, nearly half are
infected.She says she attends
funerals nearly every week.It’s
difficult for me to fathom.Her
love and concern for the families to whom she ministers is inspiring.

Yesterday morning, we said our goodbyes.Abby and Jonathan are anxious to get up
to the mountains and begin their work.Jayne won’t be their neighbor, but she’ll be close enough for them to
visit weekly. And Jayne promised
to teach Kyle to ride her horse before long!

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

1 comment:

Do you see my house on this blog post? I do! So cool that we were right here all along and didn't even know it!! God's timing is perfect. NN and Mme mentioned the other day that they really don't know what they would have done if the Lord hadn't provided through us. And the same for us.... Wherever would we have lived if we didn't find this place?

I live in a beautiful, small, but not too small, town in South Carolina. I love homemaking and all things domestic...roses on the table, dinner by candlelight, the scent of something in the oven, the hum of the sewing machine, a playful puppy, tea with a friend, kisses from my sweet honey, hugs from three boys, the giggles of four lovely girls, and baby smiles from my three precious grandkids. I love creating with food and with fabric, making our home a haven for those I love. This blog is where I share some of my creations with you and hopefully inspire you to amp up your creative energy!